


take the long way

by alolandugtrios



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 21:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18484258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alolandugtrios/pseuds/alolandugtrios
Summary: sometimes it's the best way home.





	take the long way

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, I am back to rot your teeth and send you to the dentist! This one is a gift for Summer! Hope you love it!

“Are you still mad?” Roxas teases as the pair began to end their day with a stroll back to the tram station.

“Well, yeah!” Sora complains, complete with a pout that gets Roxas laughing at him all over again. “I wanted at least _one_ of the seven wonders to be true!”

“But why the doppelgänger one? Am I not enough for you, Sora?” The blond nudges his shoulder into Sora’s, still full of giggles in his breath.

“I—! Hey!” the brunet begins to protest, but laughs and nudges him back.

“Are your clothes still wet? I don’t think they let people with messy clothes get on the tram. Just saying!”

“No!” The real answer is _yes_ — just not as wet as they were earlier! And he’s got half a mind to walk right back over and push Roxas into the water. “You act like I went swimming in it or something!”

“You might as well have! You wanted to meet your clone so bad you walked right into the waterfall, after all.”

Sora pouts again, but it’s short-lived; his lips quickly upturn to a smile and another bubble of mirth escapes him. He can’t be _truly_ mad at the blond when the teasing is, admittedly, rightfully deserved. What kind of _goofball_ walks into a waterfall to chase their own reflection? Why do that when the boy that comes from his own heart stands at his side? Laughing at him, sure, but it adds another memory to his mental scrapbook that he’s sure to look back on fondly, even if it comes at his own expense.

“Hey,” Roxas interrupts, grinning in Sora’s direction. “Let’s get back to the main part of town. I’ll get you ice cream if we make it in time. My treat! I feel bad for giving you such a hard time.” No, he doesn’t.

“Sounds good to me!” Not one to pass up free sweets, Sora agrees and grins back at Roxas. He wonders to himself — does he smile just like that when he smiles at Roxas? How much do they really mirror one another?

—

The tram station is far emptier than it was when they came to this side of Twilight Town earlier today. Has the day really gone by that fast? There’s not a clock in sight that they can find and the sky with the sun setting isn’t the best way to tell time in a town like this; it’s always twilight here and it’s never quite clear if the day is coming to an end or only just beginning. No big deal, of course. Less people, whatever time it may be, means less of a crowd. Roxas is quick to point it out.

“Hey, this is kinda cool! We get this cart to ourselves!” the blond exclaims, taking a seat on the bench and patting the spot beside him to beckon the brunet over. “C’mon, before the door closes on you! I was only kidding about the wet clothes thing earlier, by the way.”

Sora jolts where he stands, practically jumping into the tram cart and taking his seat beside Roxas. “I-I knew that! Gee, you’re never gonna let me live that one down, are you?”

“Don’t worry, Sora! It can be our little secret,” he hints with a wink. “And next time we’ll bring swim trunks.”

“You’re so mean,” Sora says dryly (ironic), but with a smile. “Didn’t give me a warning or anything. So, I guess you didn’t try to do that when you first came here to look for the seven wonders?”

“Nah.” His tone drops, more melancholic than before. “I’ve actually never been to this side of Twilight Town — the _real_ one.” Eyes focus on the tram door closing, then up to fixate on the ad for sea salt ice cream. “In the digital Twilight Town, I saw my reflection in the waterfall and I thought it was gonna attack me…but a Dusk came out instead. All of the seven wonders ended up being fake, just like the town itself. But that was there, not here. So I was a little curious to see if they held up in the real world…” Thinking of Sora walking headfirst into that waterfall again makes him chuckle. “Not as curious as you, apparently.”

“Oh…” So it was technically his first time on this side of town, too. “I’m glad we could find out together, though. Even if I got a little bit wet! I had a lot of fun today, Roxas.”

Roxas hums, a gentle smile warming his face as he turns to Sora to give him his attention again. “I did, too. I like spending time with you. If you told me a year ago that I’d be having fun with you of all people, I would have called you crazy.” _Is that saying too much?_

“Like you wouldn’t call me that anyway!”

The two share a laugh for a moment, feeling the tram’s gears beneath them start to unlock and roll toward their destination — the end of the day. It’s a short ride; neither boy knows that the other is lamenting this in their head. But even with a quick journey, at least it’s spent with just the two of them. Plus, there’s still that ice cream to look forward to when they arrive.

There’s a silence that fills the tram cart, only white noise of the roll of wheels to fill the void. Sora watches the warm orange sky pass by through the window, something faintly tugging at his chest. It’s strange — he hasn’t felt this sort of pang in his chest since the other hearts within his were awakened. But this pain is familiar in a way that he knows isn’t Roxas’ — not directly, at least. It couldn’t be, not with him sitting beside Sora. Could it? Does their connection still have that kind of strength?

“What’s wrong?” Roxas asks quietly, having been watching Sora’s face twist and contort with that pain that’s not well hidden. His hand is flat against the bench, fingers rising and mindlessly touching Sora’s hand that rests beside him.

“I…dunno. I feel sad all of a sudden.” That’s _it_. He’s said those _exact_ words in this _exact_ place before. “Ah, wait…I remember now. You know, until today, I hadn’t been on the tram since… After I woke up and I saw Twilight Town for the first time. And then I had to leave…I felt so sad and I didn’t know why. I felt that again just now, but…I don’t know how I did.”

Roxas gives him a questioning look, waiting for further explanation.

“I mean…you’re next to me now,” he sighs, smiling sadly. “I felt your pain that day. I didn’t know that it was yours then. I didn’t even know _you_.”

Without thinking, Roxas’ hand places itself over Sora’s entirely, fingers wrapping at his palm and squeezing reassuringly. “It’s alright. It’s like you said…I’m here with you right now. And right now? I’m _really happy_.”

Sora’s smile returns, so warm that Roxas feels like his face is getting sunburned. Sora’s hand shifts in Roxas’ so that their fingers lace up and the reassurance (and blush) can be mutual.

“Aha…we’re, u-um…” Roxas stutters out nervously, but makes no effort to let go.

“You didn’t grab my hand because you wanted to _stop_ , did you?”

Roxas laughs sheepishly before giving his answer, “You got me red-handed, Sora.” The boys laugh again, not one finger moving out of place to break the connection.

There comes a silence again, more welcome than what had come prior. The two enjoy the tram ride without conversation, simply being in each others company as a blur of softened crimson and peach endlessly passes them by out of the window. Neither of them are familiar with this ride, having only come in the past and once today, yet somehow it seems longer than before. Perhaps it’s the outcome of the quiet; no hustle and bustle like earlier in the day. And they both know the moment they speak out loud about it, the ride will come to its end.

Sora’s body just barely grazes against Roxas’ until the blond feels the very obvious weight of his head against his shoulder — and a bunch of spiky, yet soft, strands of hair tickling beneath his nose. It’s definitely an accident — and yet, still a bit on purpose. Sora is tired from their long day, eyes lazily distracted the sea salt ice cream ad that looks more and more tempting with each moment gone by. Slinking onto Roxas as a pillow was just bound to happen at some point! And all the same, the contact is intentional. Roxas is a part of him; he has never had any qualms about sharing affections with his friends or any other. Yet the blond still finds a way to make his heart race and flutter; it’s the best kind of adrenaline rush.

And Roxas would probably agree with that if Sora told him — if he could focus on anything other than his rapid heartbeat, that is. Nudging arms, ruffling hair, holding hands… It’s all so _natural_ for them. Despite his nerves now, this is natural, too. For them to be able to touch at all is still surreal to the blond. At one time, they could not even co-exist. Here they are now at the end of a day spent entirely together, hands clasped and bodies resting on one another. Roxas smiles to himself, a soft exhale releasing his nerves as his head tilts just enough that blond and brunet hair collide as he returns the favor of using the other boy as a pillow. No need to look; he already knows there’s a smile on Sora’s face.

“Can I tell you something?” Roxas barely breaks the quiet with a whisper.

“You can tell me anything,” Sora reassures him, the only movement made is the encouraging touch of his hand, thumb brushing against Roxas’ skin to coax him into saying what he needs to say — to let him know it’s _welcome_.

_Tell him something_ , he says… What’s he _thinking_? Roxas doesn’t want to say a damn thing because he knows no matter how he strings the words together in his head, they’re not going to come out how he wants once they leave his mouth. So does he just do it? Tell Sora how badly he wants—

_Damn_. He’s waited so long that he feels Sora’s head turn up from beneath his; Roxas’ heartbeat _skyrockets_.

The blond doesn’t speak a word, lifting his head and shifting on the bench so that his body can face the brunet. Sora follows suit, head slightly tilted in confusion as he waits for Roxas’ ‘something’ that he wants to say. His expression is so gentle and kind, Roxas thinks to himself as his breath seems to hike in speed to keep up with the wild, beating drum in his chest.

_He’s too good. Too patient, too generous. And he’s here with me._

“It’s okay, Roxas. I promise… Whatever it is you have to tell me, you can say it.”

_He’s divine — is that too strong a word?_ Damn, if his heart doesn’t stop now…

“O-Or if you changed your mind, that’s okay t—“ Sora stops the moment he feels his chin caught between a couple of soft, but shaky fingers. His face feels like he’s been hit with a Firaga and oh boy, he hopes Roxas doesn’t notice that his cheeks match the red of his jacket. Whatever else he was going to say is forgotten further when Roxas presses his lips to Sora’s — gentle, not too harsh, and yet with a firmness that shows how serious Roxas is about making this unspoken statement. Is this what he wanted to _say_? It doesn’t matter — nothing but Roxas matters. Sora finds that his own hand has come to cup against Roxas’ cheek, thumb by his ear for leverage and fingers diving into that soft blond hair that he wonders why he’s never touched like this sooner.

Any weight left in Roxas that was holding him back falls away, nothing left to keep him grounded or hold him back from making that immediate ascent to cloud nine. His thoughts race in his head too fast to comprehend, but the one to stand out is why — _why did I wait this long to kiss him?_ It feels like the most _right_ thing he’s done in his short life

Their inexperience is apparent and perfect; neither of them think to move their lips. They’re just sweetly pressed to one another until there’s finally a release, a couple of giggles, and lips are back on lips just as innocently as before. Sora can swear Roxas’ lips carry the stick of sea salt ice cream, perhaps even the taste if he were going to be that bold. He doesn’t have that courage in him, and he begins to laugh again, smiling against Roxas’ lips.

“H-Hey, don’t laugh…come on, that was my first kiss, you know,” Roxas whines, but he’s unable to keep himself from giggling and smiling.

“It’s not that…” Sora denies in a hush voice, his body still leaned in close so that he’s never too far from the next kiss. He licks his lips quickly — just to get a little taste and make sure. “Hehe… I was right! Did you have ice cream before we met up today?”

“…Yeah,” he admits. “But if you’re gonna tease me about it, the only way you’re getting your ice cream when we get back is off my lips.” Ooh — too smooth? Not smooth _enough_? Lame? _Probably lame._

“O-Oh…” Or it’s hook, line, and sinker. “Heh… So, basically you’re saying you want me to keep teasing you?” Maybe not.

“Hey, you’re clever when you want to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Means I’m not getting you your own ice cream.”

The tram cart fills with their laughter again and the two fall back into their previous position, if not a bit more snug than before. Sora’s hair tickles against Roxas’ cheek and neck, their hands remaining joined as they stare out the windows at the ever orange skies of Twilight Town. But that begins to beg the question—

“Hey, Roxas? Was…the ride this long when we rode the tram this morning?” Sora asks, scratching his head.

“I don’t remember it being this long… It’s only supposed to be a five minute ride,” Roxas states, reluctantly getting up from his spot to walk closer to the door, jumping in shock as the door opens. He peeks out, noticing they’re finally on the main side. But why did it take so long? Beckoning Sora over, he considers that the ice cream shop might even be closed for the day. “Well, whatever it was, looks like we’re back now.”

“Aww…” Sora pouts, crossing his arms.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“I was just starting to really enjoy the ride, is all.”

“Whatever happened to that whole ice cream thing, hm?” Roxas teases with a light smirk that gets Sora to perk up immediately.

“Oh, good! You’re awake!” a voice interrupts, startling both Sora and Roxas. A younger man in green clothes from behind a booth waves at the two to signal where the seemingly random voice has come from. “I probably should have woke you guys up earlier, but you two looked so darn peaceful each time the tram passed through… Woulda felt bad, you know?”

“Woke us up?” the two ask in unison.

“Yeah, you guys were sleeping! Must have had a heck of a day! I saw you guys come through at least four times…when I was paying attention, anyway.”

Sora and Roxas turn to each other slowly with wide eyes.

“You two oughta get home, then. I gotta get ready for the late night folks. Trust me, that’s a crowd you don’t wanna see!”

The two nod at the man in thanks (and perhaps slight confusion) and take hands, running off from the station. The moment they’re out of earshot, they burst into laughs.

“Can you believe that?!” Sora exclaims, releasing Roxas’ hand and hunching over, roaring with laughter. “I’m surprised he didn’t kick us off the tram after the second time we came through! Did you even notice?”

“Nope!” Roxas laughs. “I kept wondering why it was taking longer than I remembered to get back to this side. But you know, I didn’t wanna say anything cause when you do that, it’s normally when things end…and I didn’t want it to.”

“I didn’t either,” Sora admits shyly.

“Heh… We must have been pretty into each other to not notice the tram door opening that many times.” That or maybe a little bit dumb.

“I don’t mind.” Abruptly, Sora takes Roxas’ hand, smiling up at him. “Maybe we could even take the long way home again sometime.”

Roxas chuckles, smiling right back at him. “Yeah… I think I’d like to do that again sometime, too.”

The radiance that Sora smiles at Roxas with makes him think how the skies above them must envy how Sora can look like that; keep that up and the sun might scorn him someday for taking its job.

The brunet suddenly jolts and tugs at Roxas’ hand, pulling him away from the station. “Hey! What about that ice cream you promised?”

“Pfft, yeah…you’re totally in it for the ‘ _ice cream_ ’, Sora.” Not that Roxas is complaining; if it’s an excuse to kiss him again, he’ll buy one hundred ice cream bars. He just hopes Sora doesn’t melt them down with that smile he’s giving him as he continues to drag Roxas away to the ice cream stand. “Just so you know, there’s a long way to the shopping center, too.”

Sora slows his pace and laughs. “Then let’s take the long way, Roxas.”


End file.
